a Yourlist ranking · the crowd decides the order
From blown 3-1 leads to missed penalty kicks, these are the losses that still haunt fanbases decades later. Vote up the collapses and gut-punches that hurt the most.
What counts: Ranked by how devastating the collapse was, how high the stakes were (title game vs. earlier round), and the lasting cultural scar it left; all ratings and figures are approximate and open to debate.
Atlanta Falcons — Super Bowl LI (2017)
Up 28-3 in the third quarter, the Falcons watched Tom Brady and the Patriots complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning 34-28 in overtime. Kyle Shanahan's aggressive play-calling with a huge lead remains the eternal 'what if' of NFL heartbreak.
Year: 2017Sport/League: NFLStage: Super Bowl LIHeartbreak Factor: 9.5/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Cleveland Indians — 2016 World Series
Leading 3-1 in the series and ahead late in Game 7, the Indians saw Rajai Davis tie it with a home run before Chicago won in extra innings, ending the Cubs' 108-year drought at Cleveland's expense.
Year: 2016Sport/League: MLBStage: World Series Game 7Heartbreak Factor: 9/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Boston Red Sox — 1986 World Series
One strike from ending 68 years without a title, Boston watched Mookie Wilson's grounder roll through Bill Buckner's legs, letting the Mets force and win Game 7. Buckner's error became the most infamous defensive miscue in postseason history.
Year: 1986Sport/League: MLBStage: World Series Game 6Heartbreak Factor: 9.5/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
New York Yankees — 2004 ALCS
The only team in MLB history to blow a 3-0 series lead, the Yankees collapsed against their archrival Red Sox, who rode the momentum to their first title since 1918.
Year: 2004Sport/League: MLBStage: ALCSHeartbreak Factor: 8.5/10Championship on the Line?: —
added by IJR
Golden State Warriors — 2016 NBA Finals
A record-setting 73-win team led the Finals 3-1 over Cleveland, only for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to stage a historic comeback punctuated by 'The Block' and 'The Shot,' denying Golden State the greatest season ever.
Year: 2016Sport/League: NBAStage: NBA FinalsHeartbreak Factor: 9/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Buffalo Bills — 'Wide Right' Super Bowl XXV
Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal sailed wide right as time expired, giving the Giants a 20-19 win and kicking off Buffalo's record run of four straight Super Bowl defeats.
Year: 1991Sport/League: NFLStage: Super Bowl XXVHeartbreak Factor: 8.5/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Cleveland Browns — 'The Drive' (1987 AFC Championship)
John Elway marched Denver 98 yards to force overtime after Cleveland had led late, crushing a Browns team that would suffer 'The Fumble' in the exact same building the very next year.
Year: 1987Sport/League: NFLStage: AFC ChampionshipHeartbreak Factor: 8.5/10Championship on the Line?: —
added by IJR
Seattle Seahawks — Super Bowl XLIX Interception
On the goal line with a chance to seal back-to-back titles, Seattle passed instead of handing to Marshawn Lynch, and Malcolm Butler's interception sealed a Patriots win that fans still can't stop replaying.
Year: 2015Sport/League: NFLStage: Super Bowl XLIXHeartbreak Factor: 9/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Chicago Cubs — 2003 NLCS 'Bartman Game'
Five outs from the World Series, a deflected foul ball touched by fan Steve Bartman sparked a collapse that let the Marlins score eight runs and complete the comeback, extending Chicago's championship drought.
Year: 2003Sport/League: MLBStage: NLCSHeartbreak Factor: 8/10Championship on the Line?: —
added by IJR
Vancouver Canucks — 2011 Stanley Cup Final Game 7
The league's best regular-season team was shut out 4-0 at home in Game 7 by Boston, a loss so devastating it triggered riots in the streets of Vancouver.
Year: 2011Sport/League: NHLStage: Stanley Cup Final Game 7Heartbreak Factor: 8/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Netherlands — 1974 World Cup Final
Johan Cruyff's 'Total Football' side scored before West Germany even touched the ball, then somehow lost 2-1, cementing the Dutch as the greatest team never to win a World Cup.
Year: 1974Sport/League: Soccer - World CupStage: World Cup FinalHeartbreak Factor: 9/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Italy — 1994 World Cup Final (Baggio's Miss)
Roberto Baggio, who had single-handedly carried Italy through the tournament, skied the decisive penalty over the bar in the shootout against Brazil, an image that became shorthand for soccer heartbreak.
Year: 1994Sport/League: Soccer - World CupStage: World Cup FinalHeartbreak Factor: 8.5/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
England — 1990 World Cup Semifinal
Paul Gascoigne's tears after a booking that would have kept him from the final became iconic as England fell on penalties to West Germany, the first of the nation's now-legendary shootout heartbreaks.
Year: 1990Sport/League: Soccer - World CupStage: World Cup SemifinalHeartbreak Factor: 7.5/10Championship on the Line?: —
added by IJR
PSG — 2017 'La Remontada'
After thrashing Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg, PSG looked safely through, but Barca scored six unanswered goals in the return leg, capped by a 95th-minute winner, completing the greatest comeback in Champions League history.
Year: 2017Sport/League: Soccer - Champions LeagueStage: Round of 16Heartbreak Factor: 8.5/10Championship on the Line?: —
added by IJR
AC Milan — 2005 Champions League Final
Milan led Liverpool 3-0 at halftime in Istanbul, only to concede three goals in six second-half minutes and lose on penalties, a collapse so total it's remembered as a miracle for the other side.
Year: 2005Sport/League: Soccer - Champions LeagueStage: FinalHeartbreak Factor: 9/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Minnesota Vikings — Four Super Bowl Losses
Behind the fearsome 'Purple People Eaters' defense, Minnesota reached four Super Bowls in eight seasons and lost every one, cementing a franchise identity built on painful near-misses.
Year: 1970-1977Sport/League: NFLStage: Super Bowl (four appearances)Heartbreak Factor: 7.5/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Buffalo Bills — Four Consecutive Super Bowl Losses
No team has matched Buffalo's run of four straight Super Bowl appearances, and none has matched the heartbreak of losing all four, starting with 'Wide Right' and closing with blowouts that overshadowed a genuinely great roster.
Year: 1991-1994Sport/League: NFLStage: Super Bowl (four appearances)Heartbreak Factor: 8/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
Miami Heat — 2011 NBA Finals
After LeBron James's infamous 'not two, not three, not four...' promise upon joining Miami, the superteam's debut season ended in a stunning Finals loss to Dallas, with James struggling badly in fourth quarters.
Year: 2011Sport/League: NBAStage: NBA FinalsHeartbreak Factor: 7.5/10Championship on the Line?: ✓
added by IJR
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